In this portrait, Vasco da Gama lands at Calicut, India, on 20 May 1498.

What I like about this portrait is Vasco da Gama’s royal clothing, the flags and the Cross. Notice how Christianity is along for the ride. Where you will find exploration, you will almost always find Christianity alongside.

S D L

Source: Wikipedia.org from Ernesto Casanova – Library of Congress (Illustration for: Os Lusíadas by Luís de Camões, edition of 1880.) This image is available from the United States Library of Congress’s Prints and Photographs division.